MOVIES · STORY NOTES

Encanto

Encanto is a 2021 American animated musical fantasy comedy film directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and written by Charise Castro Smith and Bush. The film follows a multigenerational Colombian family, the Madrigals, led by a matriarch (Botero) whose children and grandchildren—except for Mirabel Madrigal (Beatriz)—receive magical gifts from a miracle, which they use to help the people in their rural community, called the Encanto.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Encanto · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

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The story, including the ending.

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Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

An armed conflict forces young couple Pedro and Alma Madrigal to flee their home village in Colombia with their infant triplets, Julieta, Pepa, and Bruno. Pedro is killed, but the candle Alma carries gains a magical power that repels the attackers and creates Casita, a sentient house located in a magical realm bordered by mountains.
Fifty years later, a new village thrives under the candle's protection, which grants "gifts" to each Madrigal descendant when they turn five, which they use to serve the villagers. Bruno, who was vilified and scapegoated for his precognition, disappeared ten years earlier, and Julieta's youngest daughter, Mirabel, inexplicably did not receive a gift.
On his fifth birthday, Pepa's youngest son, Antonio, is granted the ability to communicate with animals. During the celebration, the Madrigals unwittingly exclude Mirabel from being in a family photo. Mirabel sees Casita cracking and the candle's flame flickering and alerts her family, but Casita repairs itself, causing disbelief in Mirabel. After overhearing Alma lament the candle's fading that night, Mirabel resolves to restore Casita's magic herself. Her older sister Luisa, who possesses superhuman strength, confesses to Mirabel that she feels overwhelmed by her constant obligation to help the villagers using her strength, which has been faltering. She suggests to Mirabel that Bruno's room, located inside a forbidden tower in Casita, may hold the secret to the fading magic.
Mirabel finds a cave in Bruno's room that holds pieces of his last vision made of opaque emerald. Alma and the family warn Mirabel not to investigate further, but she reassembles the pieces and sees herself with Casita cracking behind her. Mirabel's father Agustín accidentally discovers Mirabel and warns her to keep the vision a secret, but they are overheard by Pepa's daughter Dolores, who possesses supernatural hearing. Mirabel's oldest sister Isabela, who can make plants and flowers instantly grow at will, is scheduled to be engaged to the Madrigals' neighbor Mariano Guzmán. Amidst Mariano's proposal, an awkward dinner, and Dolores telling everyone about Mirabel's discovery, Casita begins to crack again, and everyone loses control of their gifts.
Mirabel follows rats carrying the pieces of the vision to a secret passage behind a portrait, where she finds Bruno, who reveals he never left Casita, and his visions alternate between Mirabel saving Casita and destroying it, leading him to believe she is the key to the fate of Casita's magic. Not wanting Mirabel to be hurt, he destroyed the vision and isolated himself. At Mirabel's insistence, Bruno conjures another vision that depicts Mirabel and Isabela, who have a strained relationship, hugging, which strengthens the candle.
Mirabel attempts to apologize to a frustrated Isabela, who confesses she is burdened by her image of perfection and does not want to marry Mariano. Mirabel helps Isabela use her powers more freely and they hug. Alma arrives and angrily blames Mirabel for causing the family's misfortunes out of spite for not having a gift. Mirabel gets into an argument with Alma's behavior and asserts that her harmful expectations for her family are the true cause of Casita dying, which horrifies Alma. In the ensuing argument, Casita is destroyed by the cracks as Mirabel tries to save the candle, which extinguishes in her hands, leaving the Madrigals powerless. Distraught and heartbroken, Mirabel runs away from home.
The next day, Alma finds Mirabel tearfully sitting beside the river where Pedro was killed by the soldiers and where the miracle had begun. Alma realizes that her obsession with preserving the magic made her oblivious to how her expectations and pressure were harming the family. She expresses remorse, reconciles with Mirabel, and reunites with Bruno. The three return to the village and assemble the other Madrigals to rebuild Casita, and the townspeople join in, restoring the family's gifts and reviving Casita. The Madrigals celebrate and take another family photo, this time including Mirabel and Bruno.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Encanto. Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license